'live' sets that aren't really live

[wub]

whats your opinon on someone using an sp404 as a "live" set

Hmmm, that's a good question. I'd say that is more veering towards my idea of "live" as it's a standalone box that doesn't require a laptop, and is triggering sounds created using it in the same way that using a drum machine would be?

[SunkLo]

Really you could make the argument that some guy playing rock n roll covers is guitar hero'ing just as much as someone triggering clips. The only "true live" is a bunch of dudes making shit up on the spot for the duration of the set. You've gotta be really really fucking locked in to be able to do that without a bunch of filler. You can get a jazz trio bordering on telepathy that can manage to keep things moving and changing but it's pretty rare.

There's degrees of live. Each one puts the performance at a different tier of focus. A guitar player is concentrating on getting the notes of his solo right, but he's got a set list written in front of him. A DJ doesn't have to deal with the micro details but works on the flow of a set as a whole. Someone triggering clips is somewhere in the middle, with a focus on the arrangement of a song as well as the whole set.

As long as there's enough creative input at whatever tier you're performing at, and the audience can appreciate that, it's all good. But using technology as a crutch instead of a platform for meta-creation makes you a dong.

[wub]

But using technology as a crutch instead of a platform for meta-creation makes you a dong.

I'd say this is a root of my statement...too many lazy DJs passing off their boring button mashing as a live set when it's just an alternative so they don't have to beatmatch.

[RmoniK]

It depends what you wanna do really. It's possible to do entirely live sets where you just use a 4x4 drum loop and some midi files if you do really generic tech house or something, which is really fun too, setting up glitching effects and stuff, but for more commercial music it's hard to pull off. Imo the best thing to do then is just have smooth transitions, which is easier (doesn't mean it's worse, it can even be way better (keeping some stems and taking away others)) to pull off in ableton than on decks. I don't really care for turntable virtuosity if it's not the main focus of the music, which it is never in the kind of music i listen to, so i'd rather go to a well thought out digital set with some cool visuals then.

[m8son666]

what does boy in a band do?

[wub]

what does boy in a band do?

To give the devil his dues, he does a better job than most with his 'live sets';



MPC, Kaoss Pad, vocals.

[Milaflore]

I like what Sub Focus is doing with his sets these days, it may not be classed as 'live', but he does some nice mashups and variations of his tunes live. Plus I do love the light show that goes with it.

[Echoi]

Mistabishi's sets, particularly around 2009 were pretty shit hot...

[dial_back]

Mistabishi's sets, particularly around 2009 were pretty shit hot...

I'm on the level with Wub here. Creating sounds on the fly? Live. Especially when you start adding in hardware/samplers and manipulating them.

Just triggering clips/loops from ableton that are all stretched in advance? Not so much.



Best "live" set I've seen was KJ Sawka in 2009 in this tiny basement club. Dude is a beast on the drums, and I came from a death metal type background so I tend to be pretty harsh on drummers. Was just him, his set, a couple loop/sample setups next to his set, and another guy triggering other clips/loops with a roland spd-s. They were looping his drums patterns and tweaking bass lines over it, and he'd start playing along with the loops too. Not sure how much of it was done on the spot but I danced my ass off.

[SunkLo]

It's pathetic when you see a DJ set and they're doing that exaggerated elbow-out knob twist thing, but nothing's actually happening. Or when they just touch random knobs to look busy. Just a little pat on the head for you, and you, and this filter knob on a channel that's not plugged in, and a touch for the headphone gain over here, and the knob on this fm radio...

I remember seeing a steve aoki set years ago and he spent the whole time pouring grey goose into people's mouths and hanging from the rafters. The songs were magically mixing themselves. Saw a clip of him the other day and he was doing the same shit, just randomly touching knobs on a big mixer.

[Nickelwound]

To be honest, I don't care how "live" it is or is not. If the artist knows how to convey succesfully the emotions he wants to convey, then he succeeded. For me, moral of the story; its all about how you use things.

@Wub
Honest to god those are some crappy lyrics. Respect for his skills tho.

[Sexual_Chocolate]

what does boy in a band do?

To give the devil his dues, he does a better job than most with his 'live sets';



MPC, Kaoss Pad, vocals.

wonder if he could do that for an hour though?

[Echoi]

Why all the hate for boyinaband?

[chekov]

Why all the hate for boyinaband?

if you've seen any of his videos and can't see why people hate him, i don't think anyone could explain it

[Sexual_Chocolate]

Why all the hate for boyinaband?

if you've seen any of his videos and can't see why people hate him, i don't think anyone could explain it

its well documented that DSF does NOT like/enjoy biab

[chekov]

Why all the hate for boyinaband?

if you've seen any of his videos and can't see why people hate him, i don't think anyone could explain it

its well documented that DSF does NOT like/enjoy biab

i don't believe for one second that we're alone in that

he's just so irritating and cringey

and also brostep

[Sexual_Chocolate]

innit... AH punchable face thread time

[Echoi]

"HI" Been a while since I watched his vid's, but in hindsight, stupid bloody question really, so disregard that.

[RmoniK]

This again. Totally relevant to the thread.

Imma try to steer this in the right direction again:

What are your thoughts on stuff like this?

[AxeD]

If he performs an hour of music like that, that's obviously a live set.

Not the best example when it comes to this discussion imo.